1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to rainwater collecting systems and more particularly, to a self-contained, portable rainwater collecting and purifying system for collecting, filtering and disinfecting rainwater or other precipitation primarily for drinking purposes. In a preferred embodiment the portable water collecting and treatment system is characterized by a housing which contains the system components, and the housing is typically fitted on the bottom thereof with a pair of skids which render the housing portable on sand, snow or other soft terrain. Alternatively, wheels can be fitted on the housing for transporting the housing on pavement or hard terrain. A pair of water collection panels typically hinged to the housing can be deployed in a sloped configuration on the top of the housing for receiving falling rainwater. A collection gutter provided on the housing between the panels receives the rainwater from the sloped panels and drains the rainwater into a vertical standpipe. The standpipe, typically fitted with a screen filter or filters which initially removes some of the twigs, leaves and other large debris from the water, eventually overflows due to the rising water in the standpipe. The overflowing, partially-filtered water is distributed to a water collection tank, provided with a hopper which is typically fitted with a gravity-flow prefilter or prefilters. A typically battery-operated pump automatically pumps the water from the water collection tank, first through a typically 20-micron particle filter which removes large particulate impurities from the water, and then through a typically 5-micron particle filter which removes most of the remaining, smaller particulate impurities from the water. The filtered water is finally distributed through an ultraviolet light sterilizer which kills bacteria and other microorganisms to disinfect and render the water suitable for drinking. A header system connected to the ultraviolet light sterilizer is typically fitted with a circulation valve provided in fluid communication with the water collection tank for selectively recirculating the water through the system, under circumstances in which rainwater remains in the collection tank for long periods of time and begins to stagnate, for example. The header system typically further includes a system exit valve for selectively distributing the filtered and disinfected water from the housing, as well as a faucet in the housing for selectively discharging the filtered and disinfected water from the system. In another embodiment solar panels provided on the respective water collection panels collect solar energy for energizing the pump, ultraviolet light sterilizer, or both. In still another embodiment a heating blanket is provided beneath each water collection panel for heating and melting accumulated snow, sleet or ice on the panels, and the melted precipitation is purified and disinfected through the system.
While safe drinking water is a universal requirement for adequate health, millions of people worldwide, particularly those in third world countries, lack an adequate supply of clean drinking water. In many developing and third world countries, population increases have combined with inadequate sewage treatment facilities to render the water of the aquifers or underground wells in those countries unfit for human consumption. As a result, the available drinking water is contaminated with bacteria, viruses and other parasites which can cause potentially fatal diseases, thus profoundly affecting the health of the population. Safe drinking water is also an important requirement for persons affected by natural disasters and military personnel engaged in armed conflicts. Under these circumstances, bottled water must typically be continually trucked or air-dropped into the affected area or areas, and this is a very expensive operation. A substantially untapped source of clean drinking water is rainwater, particularly in tropical or subtropical countries. Accordingly, the portable rainwater collecting and purifying system of this invention is designed to collect falling rainwater or other precipitation such as snow or sleet, and filter and disinfect the collected rainwater such that the treated water is capable of human consumption. The system is self-contained, can be transported from one location to another over soft terrain and is particularly useful in underdeveloped, remote or rural areas, areas affected by drought or disaster or other locations having a limited supply of clean drinking water.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Several different types of filtering devices are known in the art for removing debris, impurities or microorganisms from rainwater, spring water or other natural water sources. U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,153, dated Oct. 7, 1986, to Robert J. Carey, discloses a xe2x80x9cLeader Filterxe2x80x9d which is designed to be mounted beneath the discharge opening of a rain-collecting gutter on a building. The box-shaped leader filter has a top for receiving the rainwater from the gutter and diverting the rainwater down the outside surfaces of the sides of the leader filter. Multiple horizontal slots provided in the sides of the leader filter allow the rainwater to enter the leader filter, while preventing the entrance of leaves and other debris into the filter. The filtered rainwater, substantially free of leaves and other clogging debris, flows from a filter discharge opening provided in the bottom of the leader filter, into a leader which conveys the water to the ground. A xe2x80x9cWater Collecting and Spring Box and Gauging System and Holding Tankxe2x80x9d is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,734, dated Oct. 20, 1987, to Robert G. McCauley. The spring box is designed to collect water from a water source, and the water is channeled from the spring box, through a filter to a water holding tank. The flow rate of water from the spring box is controlled by varying the height of the water level in the spring box and by using a filter having openings of selected sizes and spacings. U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,474, dated Apr. 12, 1994, to Jay F. Carey, II, et al., details a xe2x80x9cRoofing System for Potable Waterxe2x80x9d, which is assembled on a building for channeling rainwater from the building. The roofing system is characterized by multiple roof pans each constructed of fully-annealed sheets of at least 99% titanium, and each of which has a thickness of less than 0.020 inches. The adjacent roof pans are joined by press-fitting adjacent seam elements of the roof pans into a standing seam which extends along the pitch of the roof and forms a water-collecting trough for gathering potable rain water. A xe2x80x9cRemovable Downspout Debris Trap Assemblyxe2x80x9d, for use with downspouts connected to a rain gutter system, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,985,158, dated Nov. 16, 1999, to Kenneth M. Tiderington. The debris trap assembly replaces a portion of the downspout from about waist height down to the drain tile connection. Rainwater is carried by the downspout to the debris trap assembly, where the rainwater flows through a strainer housing containing a strainer cup which collects debris from the rainwater. The strainer cup is removable through an access opening in the housing for emptying the debris from the cup. U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,996, dated May 3, 1996, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,997,750, dated Dec. 7, 1999, both to Lee Rozelle, et al., each details a xe2x80x9cCommunity Drinking Water Purification Systemxe2x80x9d for producing purified drinking water from surface or ground fresh water sources by using a positively-charged filtration medium to attract the typically negatively-charged solids suspended in the water source. The process, which can be portable, includes a filtration system having filtration, recirculation, backwash and disinfection steps. The process further includes a system controller which receives electrical signals from float controls to control the filtration, recirculation and backwash steps.
An object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting and purifying rainwater or other precipitation primarily for drinking purposes.
Another object of this invention is to provide a self-contained, portable system for collecting, filtering and disinfecting rainwater or other precipitation.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a system for collecting and melting snow, sleet or ice and collecting, filtering and disinfecting the melted precipitation primarily for drinking purposes.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a solar-powered portable water collecting and treatment system.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a portable rainwater collecting and purifying system characterized by a housing typically fitted with skids or wheels on the bottom thereof and having a pair of water collection panels typically hinged to the housing, which water collection panels can be pivoted from a storage or transport configuration on respective sides of the housing and deployed in a sloped configuration on the housing for receiving falling rainwater or other precipitation; a collection gutter provided on the housing for receiving the rainwater from the sloped panels; a vertical standpipe provided in the housing and typically fitted with a screen filter or filters for receiving the water from the collection gutter and initially filtering twigs, leaves and other large debris from the water; a water collection tank provided in the housing for receiving partially filtered water overflowing from the standpipe and provided with a hopper fitted with a gravity flow prefilter or prefilters for additionally filtering the water; a pair of particle filters provided in fluid communication with the water collection tank for removing additional particulate impurities from the water; an ultraviolet light sterilizer provided in fluid communication with the particle filters for killing bacteria and other microorganisms in the water and disinfecting and rendering the water suitable for drinking; a typically battery-operated pump for automatically pumping the water from the water collection tank through the particle filters and ultraviolet light sterilizer; and a header system connected to the ultraviolet light sterilizer for selectively circulating the filtered and disinfected water through the system, for selectively distributing the water from the housing or for selectively discharging the water from the system through a faucet, as desired.
These and other objects of the invention are provided in a self-contained, portable rainwater collecting and purifying system for collecting, filtering and disinfecting rainwater or other precipitation primarily for drinking purposes. In a preferred embodiment the portable water collecting and treatment system is characterized by a housing for containing the system components, which housing is typically fitted on the bottom thereof with skids which render the housing portable on sand, snow or other soft terrain. Alternatively, the housing can be fitted with wheels for rendering the housing portable on pavement or hard terrain. A pair of water collection panels typically hinged to the respective sides of the housing can be deployed in a storage configuration on the respective sides of the housing for transportation, or in a sloped configuration on the top of the housing for receiving falling rainwater. A collection gutter provided on the housing between the sloped panels receives the rainwater from the panels and drains the rainwater into a vertical standpipe which is provided in the housing. The standpipe, typically fitted with a screen filter or filters which initially removes leaves, twigs and other large debris from the water, eventually overflows due to the rising water in the standpipe. The overflowing, partially-filtered water is distributed to a water collection tank provided in the housing, which water collection tank is provided with a hopper, typically fitted with a gravity flow prefilter or prefilters. A typically battery-operated pump provided in fluid communication with the water collection tank automatically pumps the water first through a typically 20-micron particle filter which removes large particulate impurities from the water, and then through a typically 5-micron particle filter which removes most of the remaining, smaller particulate impurities from the water, and finally through an ultraviolet light sterilizer which kills bacteria and other microorganisms to disinfect and render the water suitable for drinking. A header system connected to the ultraviolet light sterilizer is typically fitted with a circulation valve provided in fluid communication with the water collection tank for selectively recirculating the water through the system, under circumstances in which rainwater remains in the collection tank and other system components for long periods of time and begins to stagnate, for example. The header system typically further includes a system exit valve for selectively distributing the filtered and disinfected water from the housing to a residence or other destination, as well as a faucet in the housing for selectively discharging the filtered and disinfected water from the system, as desired. In another embodiment solar panels provided on the respective water collection panels collect solar energy for energizing the pump, ultraviolet light sterilizer, or both. In still another embodiment a heating blanket is provided beneath each water collection panel for heating and melting accumulated snow, sleet or ice on the panels, and the melted precipitation is filtered and disinfected through the system.